Red Sea reef foundation powder mixing ?s

[SashimiTurtle]

I've just ran out of the pre mixed reef foundation elements and I'm looking to mix the part A and B from powder. I have the directions but they are very confusing and I've seen at least three different concentrations in the book. How much powder do I put in how much water? I'm way better with standard measurements, I can't stand the metric system.

 

[promptcritical]

100 grams of part B (alkalinity) in 1 liter of RO. It mixes to 1/3 the strength (dose) of the liquid. 1 KG (that's one container) of part A (Ca) to 1.8 liters of RO. It mixes to the same strength as the liquid.The part A always leaves sludge in the bottom of the dosing container for me no matter how long I mix it with a power head. The part A gets really hot when you put it in the water. I have to use a lot more part B (alk) daily than part A (Ca).

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Thank you. Looks like I need to buy a container than can measure in Liters. Everything I have is pints, quarts and gallons. One more question, since the part B mixes to one third strength at 100g/1L, can I mix 300g/100L? Or will it not dissolve properly at that concentration?

 

[promptcritical]

I don't think it will dissolve at more than 100g/liter. You have to dose 3 times as much of this as you would of the premixed liquid. Helps to heat the part B water and use a power head for mixing any of them. The part A gets really hot so don;t be alarmed.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Thanks for the help!

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Mixed up my powders. After what you said and looking at the table in the book I understand what they were trying to tell me now. 550g of part A dissolved in 1 liter of water and 100g of part B dissolved in one liter of water.

Through the power of Google I found that 1 quart is .946 liters... Close enough for government work! 550 grams of part A is almost half of a quart Mason jar, I was thinking "Well crap, I'll never get all the water in here..." But surprisingly, it dissolved into the water with a little room at the top of the jar. The part A turned a brown color and got really hot and the part B was cloudy and white. I set the jar in a sink of hot water (gas water heater set way higher than it should be, my fiancee likes to melt her skin in the shower) and shook every few minutes. The part A has some stuff floating on the top and the part B has a few white clumps at the bottom. Normal?

 

[promptcritical]

That's what mine always looks like. Doesn't mean I know what I'm doing though. I've tried filtering the part A through a coffee filter. Takes a while but it still has some precipitate settle out. Seems to work okay though. I don't think that smutz that settle hurts anything. It settles to the bottom and doesn't seem to bother my dosing pumps any.

 

[zaba859]

Foundation B mixing ratio to achieve pre mixed solution simmilarity is 1.5 parts of powder to 13,8 parts of RO water. Its easier to take it this way: 0.25 parts powder to 2.3 parts of RO water and this makes nearly 2,5 litres of ready solution. Make sure you heat up water to about 50 degrees celsius and there will be no residue left (all powder dissolves nicely). Thanks

 

[M0N0x1]

I know this old thread but I have a question. The B mag solution I cant get it to dissolve. Is it the same as kalwasser leave the sediment that settles and only dose the solution a over the bottom?

 

[siggy]

i needed this. thx

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I know this old thread but I have a question. The B mag solution I cant get it to dissolve. Is it the same as kalwasser leave the sediment that settles and only dose the solution a over the bottom?

How much of it did not dissolve?

Did you follow the recommended volumes?

 

[M0N0x1]

How much of it did not dissolve?

Did you follow the recommended volumes?

It's only about maybe 3/4 of an inch that settles at the bottom of a gallon container. After I transfer to the dosing container it settles the same. Takes about 8 minutes for it to settle. The liquid above doesnt go completely clear. It has a thick hazy look to it. I followed the mixing instructions. I used weight for all my measurements in grams and kilos to keep a uniform method for my next batches. I even weighed my water. I could stir and dose but I dont feel comfortable with putting a powder that wont dissolve into my aquarium. Reminds me of kalwasser

 

[M0N0x1]

Looked at the container just now and it's actually more less than half of a inch of product at the bottom

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Part B is the alk part, and alk parts are often solubility limited. Adding more water may help, or warming it.

But it may also be an indication of a fundamental issue, like it being the wrong product,wrong concentration, etc.

 

[M0N0x1]

Part B is the alk part, and alk parts are often solubility limited. Adding more water may help, or warming it.

But it may also be an indication of a fundamental issue, like it being the wrong product,wrong concentration, etc.

I meant C magnesium. I keep putting down B. Thank you for taking the time to answer

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I meant C magnesium. I keep putting down B. Thank you for taking the time to answer

If any alk or calcium part was left in the container, it might cause some precipitation. Using tap water could too. Otherwise, I'm not sure why you got it.

 

[M0N0x1]

If any alk or calcium part was left in the container, it might cause some precipitation. Using tap water could too. Otherwise, I'm not sure why you got it.

Thank you I've contacted red sea just waiting to hear back. I cant figure it out either. I keep stuff separate and mix one at a time to avoid crossing. I used weight for both powder and water. Compared water to graduated cylinder while weighing and I use RODI water. So I'll wait and see what they say. I dont have any local numbers that Red Sea says are n this area. But thank you again for responding to my question